The Jets’ highly anticipated 2024 season opener is just a week away, a day that feels like a week off for Aaron Rodgers.
Of course, Rodgers’ 2023 season, his first with the Jets, ended after tearing his left Achilles just four plays into the opener. The tear effectively ended any hopes the Jets had of ending their 13-year drought without a playoff appearance.
Now the 49ers and their top-rated defense await Rodgers and his Jets starters, who haven’t played a game in three preseason games, with questions still lingering:
- What’s left for Rogers?
- Does he still have the skill that made him a two-time NFL MVP and a Super Bowl champion?
- Or is he just another 40-something star whose skills have declined?
No one is better qualified to answer that question than receiver Alan Lazard, who is on the Jets roster. Lazard played his first five NFL seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay before being acquired by Rodgers.
Before the Jets took a break from practice over Labor Day weekend, I asked Lazard to evaluate Rodgers’ current performance compared to his prime in Green Bay.
“He’s somewhere between amazing and great,” Lazard told the Post. “He’s probably great.”
So, do you think he hasn’t lost anything in your eyes?
“Honestly, he’s better than he’s ever been,” Lazard said. “Not to overstate him or anything, but…”
Sure, Lazard is biased. But still: No Jets player has a better, more unique perspective on Rodgers’ past and present than Lazard, who, like Rodgers, is trying to get back to form in Green Bay.
There was no shortage of candidates who could be the biggest source of frustration for Jets fans in 2023. Topping the list were three men who took over the quarterback position after Rodgers left for the season.
But Lazard wasn’t far behind Zach Wilson, Trevor Simian and Tim Boyle.
The 28-year-old receiver, who the Jets signed to a four-year, $44 million deal with $22 million guaranteed, was one of the team’s biggest disappointments in 2023.
To be fair, he was a receiver without a competent NFL quarterback, and he was a spoiled receiver thanks to playing his entire career with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
But Lazard’s 2023 season was a struggle, and he was motivated to “reestablish my value to this team.”
He entered last season having caught 60 passes for 788 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. He then had 40 catches for 513 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021.
Lazard’s numbers for 2023 (23 catches for 311 yards, 1 TD) barely matched the contract he signed. And he heard about it from Jets fans.
“It’s been a tough year,” Lazard said. “It was tough just knowing that I had spent my entire career trying to find stability and security. Coming to a new city, a new adventure, and finally feeling like I had this check in my life… and of course, the season itself.”
Lazard didn’t listen to the negative rumors about 2023. He was well aware that many Jets fans were making derogatory remarks about his lack of productivity.
But you never heard Lazard whine about it. He just kept his head down and did his job quietly. He took responsibility.
“That’s part of the story of what we signed up for, and honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Lazard said. “I’m trying to use all of that as motivation, and all of last year as motivation and focus to better my craft and be a better teammate.”
It’s human nature for even the most well-known players to doubt themselves when their productivity wanes and outside criticism mounts. Lazard admits to those feelings of insecurity, wondering if he was the player he was before he joined the Jets.
“When times are tough, that little voice in your head gets a little louder,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t keep playing and persevere through tough times. I knew last year wasn’t going to be my last year playing football.”
Lazard bounced back with a strong training camp this summer, and now he wants to take it to the real games.
“I’m grateful for the camp and the success and the growth I’ve had and re-established my value to this team,” he said. “But at the end of the day, nothing else matters until Sunday.”
In this case, it’s Monday.
“That’s why you get judged and evaluated and ridiculed, right?” he said. “So, [training camp] ”Just because I’ve reached the checkpoint doesn’t mean I’m not anywhere near where I need to go.”
